I will probably get shouted at for this, but....

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I don't like rubber anyway, I would personally never use it.
My horse has a HUGE straw bed. I know he is not a duck, and I know he has no bed in the field- but in his field he does not have four breeze block walls to scrape his precious legs up... hence my complete obsession with HUGE banks.
My friend at uni kept her horse on a tiny amount of shavings- it was constantly cast and had bumps and scrapes all over it, which I think is horrible.

[/ QUOTE ]

I do kind of see this way of thinking - I think if you are going to have banks they need to be huge to make a difference.

Overall, I think it depends on the horse as to whether you have a big bed -
Do they lie down at all, and when?
Are they messy?
Do they lie in their own poo even when there is a bed (our mare used to and she did poos all over the bed)?

[/ QUOTE ]
Oh definately- horses for courses as with everything. I just didn't want to become mistaken for a fluffy bunny because I give my horses massive beds. I understand they don't snuggle into it like we humans do (although, admittedly my coloured does live with a duvet on in winter!)
My horses are all thick skinned hunter and I have no quarms they are happy with their big beds and big rugs, just lolling about in their stables. I suppose I am very lucky in that none of my lot can ever be arsed to make a mess, they all wee and poo in exactly the same spot, night in, night out, and lie in the same spot, night in, night out.
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I know many horses sleep during the day, mine being one of them, both standing and laying down but she's out so she just lies on the floor.

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Horses don't always lie down to sleep! Horses do not, scientific fact, sleep for several hours in one block and then stay awake for the rest of the 24 hours... whether they lie down or not. I responded to your post because you said a horse needed deeper bedding at night so they could lie down (to sleep), but it depends on a horse's turnout regime when they lie down, when they sleep, how often they sleep etc. They don't go to bed at night like we do. They might lie down more at night, but some horses don't lie down at all - that's not to do with sleeping, as those horses will doze standing up! My horse doesn't need a deep bed to be encouraged to doze - he will do it wherever, including in the middle of a ride when we stop for a drink!

[/ QUOTE ]

Is that not what I just said?
Did I not also just day I'm talking about my horse and the horses I have experience with, not yours or anyone elses horses?
I also didn't say they go to bed at night exclusively. I said that at night I think it's better to have a bigger bed than in the day. This is just my personal preference, and because I know my horse and the others I know have different toilet patterns during day and night aswell as different sleeping patterns, like I already said.
I don't even know if I actually said I like to give a bigger bed at night to sleep, I thought I said it was for the above mentioned patterns of sleep and toilet-ing (:)) and for warmth.
 
I make a bit of a compromise. One of my horse's is very messy and his bed is a nightmare to muck out if he's on a full shavings bed, so I have him on rubber mats over the whole floor, with nothing over the front half of the stable (this is where his hay and water go), then at the back I put big banks on all sides and then between them a thin layer of shavings, about 4/5 inches deep, enough for him to lie down on comfortably and also enough to soak up the wee yet not so much that he can mix all his poo into it (which he does with a deep bed), so it doesn't take me long to muck out. This system works well for me
laugh.gif
And horse seems happy as he lies down every night and is always well rested. I don't like to see horses on rubber mats with just a sprinkling, I was once at a yard where they only allowed the horses to have a sprinkle of bedding on rubber mats, my horse would never wee on this as he hated getting splashed, he'd always wait until I brought him out of the stable and then go for a wee on the nice absorbent sandy ground outside the yard office! Management weren't very happy about this so thankfully they allowed him to have more bedding so that he could wee in his stable ;D
 
I like to see a nice big bed, my mare has 6-7 bags of shavings in her bed and I top it up with 1 every week when it gets low. My friend said the last couple of nights shes seen her laying down, curpled up at 8pm. Bless her. I always think the better they sleep the better they perform.and If I look after my horse shell look after me. But again personal preference
 
Just wanted to add, (at the risk of getting brought into this debate :O ) Horses do a lot of their sleeping standing up and at various times of day, not just night etc as other people have stated. However they only do REM (dream) sleep when lying flat out. This has been discovered in scientific studies. Something to do with only when horse is completely relaxed (ie. lying down with no weight bearing) can it enter this state). Whether you believe horse dream or not REM is known to be vital sleep for assimilating what has occured during the day and nessecary for learning. So it is nessecary for good horse health. I suppose you could debate that horses can still lie flat out on bare rubber matting but oh well, some rubber matting has very little give and sleeping in your own wee can't be nice even for a horse, think of the damage the ammonia does to their lungs if nothing else, so I would much rather see them on a nice comfy bed, I am sure they sleep much better on it.
 
I agree with Miz Elz. However, I do know that I'm giving my horse a deep bed becuase I want to and that there is nothing actually wrong with rubber matting and thin beds.
Its one of those things that makes me feel better, like changing his rugs at night in winter. I hate the thought of leaving my horse in his turnout rug overnight, even though I know he'd be perfectly happy.

What other people choose to do is up to them.
 
Can I just say (because this has, as I expected, turned into a huuge debate!) that I do not believe people who do not put down large amounts of bedding are lazy or tight assed
tongue.gif
I also do not think that they are cruel - if that were the case, then I'd be condeming nearly my whole yard, which is nonsense - every horse on the yard is happy and healthy and not in the least bit visibly hindered by a lack of a pluffy bed
blush.gif
grin.gif


I was, however, interested to find out what people's views are as it isnt something I have ever noticed being discussed here before, and I have found it intriguing that there appears to be a complete split down the middle in terms of opinion
smile.gif
I'm sure it is going to rattle on and on, and I just wanted to reitterate the fact that I do not mean or wish to insult anyone, I'm just interested
wink.gif
 
Personally i don't like to see horses on rubber matting with little bedding, however i do think it is personal preference. If the owner prefers a huge bed and banks then so does the horse, if the owner prefers a little or no bedding then the horse is perfectly happy to lie on it!!
smirk.gif
tongue.gif

My girl is on a a big straw bed and i often see her lying down using the banks as a pillow, i have never used rubber matting and have no plans to do so however as i have also seen her lying down out in the field on the barest most rutted part
crazy.gif
i have no doubt if i did have matting she would be just as happy to lie down on it!
 
Miz Elz chill hun, lol I think sometimes some people just like to argue for the sake of it lol.
Some ppl just spin things and blow them out of the water for their own enjoyment lol.At the end of the day an opinion is an opionon lol
 
Well I have a deep litter bed in my lads field stable but am in the process of taking it all out, leaving the banks and having a small amount of shavings down on my rubber mats. It will reduce the dust, mess and be easier to keep on top of...but then he only uses it as and when he pleases as he is out 24/7.
 
I dislike just matting and a bit of shavings, our RS is like this and you always leave there humming of pee. One of their horses won't pee in his stable cos he doesn't like splashing his legs and they have to stand and whistle with a bucket
frown.gif
 
I don't like rubber matting at all. It is resting on the concrete base of the stable and the cold temperature of the concrete base is transmitted to the mat. When the weather is cold the rubber mats become harder, brittle and cold. Urine collects under the rubber matting and then evaperates in to the surounding atmsohere of the stable.

Horses in fields may lie down on hard ground but when they get up they can walk around the field and warm up. Within the confines of a stable they can lie down on rubber matting get cold and then are unable to walk around and get warm.

The only acceptable type of rubber matting is the completly sealed type with a lip that runs one metre up the walls of the stables and which has a traditional deep bed over it with high banks.

Rubber matting is in my opinion bad horse management.
 
I like to have a good deep bed for my boy, but I'm well aware that's it's not really a 'bed' (i.e. a nest). I have one for two reasons - the main one is that he doesn't like to wee otherwise. Also to try and keep him clean (coloured horse with lots of white).

Mine's really fussy about wee'ing though, it's very common for him to come in from the field and wee immediately. Once, he was standing loose on the yard (fenced area in front of stable) whilst being mucked out and was obviously desperate, so he opened the bag of fresh bedding, pawed it out into a pile and went onto that. The mare next door couldn't care less, she'll go on the concrete quite happily, so I guess it does depend on the horse.
 
QR
Our mares will lie down on hay in the field, giving every impression of 'nesting' Given wild horses behaviour of couching their young in long grass to sleep, usiually in groups with 'nanny' mares, this actually would be fairly natural behaviour and perhaps is an argument for bedding (we don't have rubber mats, we have earth floors and deep shavings beds). Given that with free range horses could choose where to lie down, rather than in restricted fields, it is actualy quite a reasonable suggestion that they would choose to lie down in long sheltering vegetation.
 
Completely agree - I hate to see bare floors in stables. There's one livery on our yard who does this and you need a gas mask to go into the stable as the ammonia stink is so dreadful.

All those who disparagingly say that "horses in the wild don't make nests", stop a moment and THINK! Horses in the wild don't stand for 18 hours in an tiny, barren area 12ft by 12ft. Get a grip. We have artificially changed their "wild" way of living so we have to find acceptable solutions that address what we have forced on them. Out 24/7 with shelter is best but not everyone has that option and it's not always ideal for the horse. So if we HAVE to stable horses in the winter from eg 4pm to 9am, we owe it to them to make them as comfortable as possible.
 
I'm one of those dreadful folks who bed their horses on rubber mats with a corner bed (large stable) of banked bedmax and paper. They live at home, so I'm picking the poos out of their stables after 10pm. Both have pens attached to their stables so can choose to have a poo outside (as warmblood usually does) when weather conditions allow access.

I only do clean beds - the only excuse for deep litter is veterinary necessity.

personally, my horses would live out before i would dream of bedding them on straw. Un processed straw may be fine for bedding an animal that isn't required to work ie cattle, but think its the same as giving a working horse 40 fags a day.
 
We have the same sized (as in floor area) bed on rubber mats, but it's thinner because the cushioning is done by the matting. My horse lies down every night so musn't mind too much, and we use absorbent bedding (wood pellets) so the wee is soaked up nicely. Tried shavings and it was horrid - all the wee ran across the mats and towards the door - ugh!!
 
Personally, I have no strong views either way. However, when my horse was on long term box rest for a tendon injury the vet recommended I keep him on rubber matting with only a sprinkling of bedding. This would mean he was moving round on a firm surface, helping the circulation in his legs to prevent them filling and also help the recovery of his tendon. I have to say it worked well and he would still happily lie down/roll. I just changed the shavings daily and it was never any smellier than a deep bed would be.
 
Lol....

I have mats and a small amount of bedding. My mare wees in the corner and poos along the back of the stable - very convenient for mucking out! I do put a little more bedding down in the winter but not much more.

A new livery we have has mats. shavings and straw for her horse. She questioned me about how many bales I use a week and does my horse actually lie down because she has mats and a thin layer of shavings. Of course she bloody lies down - daft woman. Sigh.
 
Lukey is THE stinkiest equine on the planet, and if he had a 'full' bed it'd take me half the day to muck it out!! He has half a bed on full matted floor...bankings and about 6" deep middle. He is quite happy to sleep in his own sh*t out in the field despite the fact there's ample room for him not to have to do it
smirk.gif
 
QR

My horse looks perfectly happy in the Summer, lying down on the rock hard floor in his field! So i can see why people just use rubber matting and no bedding, and it doesn't bother me.

I prefer mine to have a bed with his matting
blush.gif
but that's because i'm soft
wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
With horses being the awkward creatures they are if they only had a small amount of bedding they wouldn't go to the toilet on it but on the mats instead. And so would be left with no option but to lay straight down into it. Plus in winter I like to think a good straw bed is not only comfy but also warm.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine are all litter trained, pretty much by themselves as they tend to be quite clean. The pee on the wood pellets, the poo in their special places and lie in other parts of the stable. They do have large stables so they have a choice, in a small stable they might be messier.

The insulating properties of rubber mats FAR outweigh those of straw, so there is no chance a straw bed, however big, would be warmer than rubber mats.
 
I don't have rubber mats at all, I have a big shavings bed that I work properly and then it doesn't move underneath at all, I take out all wet every couple of days and I use the small shavings, not the large flakes, it's lovely and comfy with high banks and the rugs are always clean
smile.gif


I'm not a lover of rubber mats cos they stink underneath and I'm too much of a weakling to be able to lift them regularly.
 
QR- a non horsey friend has just read this from my PC while im cooking and is giggling at us horsey folks talking about where and how our horses poo and wee and if they use their poo as 'pillows'.... oh we are an odd bunch!
smile.gif
:P
 
I agree with you. Rubber matting you can cut down a little on the bedding, but I still feel they should have a complete and decent coverage of bedding.
 
our horses are currently out at night and in for about 4 hrs a day and i know that as soon as they come in they eat and then every one of them (8horses) lies down for quite a while, its maybe all in my head but i think they look forward to coming in to their comfy beds, just my preference but i love my horsey to have a big cosy bed, although i know its not truly neccasery.
 
At the mo my horse is out all night and comes in in the day. She rarely lies down in the day and i'm saving on bedding as her flax bed is a bit small. Shes on rubber matting too. In the winter I will throw on a few more bales of flax so she can lie down at night. The rubber matting makes the floor warmer to lie on. Half her 12x12 stable has bedding in the winter and half doesnt. Plenty room for her to lie down and snooze.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I don't like rubber matting at all. It is resting on the concrete base of the stable and the cold temperature of the concrete base is transmitted to the mat. When the weather is cold the rubber mats become harder, brittle and cold.

[/ QUOTE ] That is definitely not the case with the mats I use - Fieldguard M2 mats. They have rubber 'legs' underneath the mats, which raise the mats from the floor which makes them springy and comfortable, and keeps the mats off the concrete. The mats are definitely not cold when the temperature drops as I have found water buckets on the mats don't freeze, whereas those not on mats often do.

I do think that all these discussions on mats don't take into account the various different types of mats and ways they are managed. I agree that I have seen some very thin types of mats that I think are more suited to being used under a normal bed just to ensure the horse doesn't go through to concrete. However, there are some good quality springy mats that are fine with minimal bedding - mine are comfy enough for me to lie on and so I feel they are fine for my horses! Mine are out at night and in by day at the mo, and most of them are quick to lie down for a nap within a couple of hours of being in!

[ QUOTE ]
Rubber matting is in my opinion bad horse management.

[/ QUOTE ] What a load of opinionated, ill-informed bollox!
tongue.gif
 
Not read all teh posts but agree with OP. One of mine is on deep straw bed which is mucked out properly in the winter. The other one is on shavings at the moment but will be going on to straw for the winter. Both of them like to lie down and i feel that on deep beds they will be warm and comf and less likely to hurt themselves. I know they are not birds and don't need a nest but i like to provide them with some comfort at night. Fair play to those who use other methods, but mine works for me and my horses seem to be happy, so that's all that matters really.
 
I use mats with minimal bedding (paper or cardboard if possible) as I think it is healthier for the horse due to the lower levels of dust and ammonia build up. I have got equimats and they dont smell. I have one horse who wont pee due to splashback so he gets a thicker bed on top. I have banks to protect from injury but cant see how they can stop a horse from getting cast tbh.

I originally got the mats as I had a pony who coughed in the stable (even on supposedly dust extracted shavings). I dont think I would ever go back to deep beds again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top